Gandoca Sea Turtle Project
10 DAYS
San José 1 • Gandoca 4 • Tortuguero National Park 2 • Arenal Volcano area 1 • San José 1
Basic Inclusions
Accommodations
Accommodations in centrally-located three-star or four-star hotels. Rooming on a triple basis. Dormitory style residences on Days 2 - 5. Double rooms: $50 per night, per person.
Meals
All breakfasts. Eight lunches. All dinners.
Transportation
Round-trip transportation on scheduled airline. All public transportation tickets included where applicable.
Guide
English-speaking tour escort throughout. Special arrangements as noted.
Travel Protection
Passports provides and pays for a Post Departure Travel Protection Plan that includes coverage for Trip Interruption, Trip Delay, Medical Expense and Evacuation and more.
Tour Summary
Itinerary Includes
English-speaking tour escort throughout
One Checked Bag Included Per Person
Day 1: Arrival San José
Arrival transfer
Day 2: San José - Gandoca
Poás Volcano Visitor Center and Overlook Trail to crater rim, Coffee Plantation
Day 3: Gandoca
Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project
Day 4: Gandoca
Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project
Day 5: Gandoca
Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project
Day 6: Gandoca - Tortuguero National Park
Banana Processing Plant, Riverboat to Tortuguero
Day 7: Tortuguero National Park
Boat excursion along the Tortuguero canals
Day 8: Tortuguero National Park - Arenal Volcano area
Depart Tortuguero by riverboat, Arenal Volcano National Park
Day 9: Arenal Volcano area - San José
Arenal Volcano National Park
Day 10: Departure
Departure transfer
UNPARALLELED STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
It's an easy airplane flight south (no jet lag) to the capital city of San José, Costa Rica. Spectacular rain forests and cloud forests, and the warm climate make this Latin American country a mecca for environmentalists and nature lovers.
Over a quarter of the hinterland and almost half the coastline is protected in Costa Rica, which is situated in one of the world's most bio-diverse regions. You will have the opportunity to experience eco-friendly tropical adventures during your trip.
Overnight: San José
Day 2: Poas Volcano, Coffee Plantation, Gandoca
Today's ride takes you to the Caribbean coast, where pristine beaches and a coastal rain forest create a unique backdrop for a remote ecological paradise. Tonight, you may dream of yet undiscovered species.
Your coach takes you up to the summit of the 8,900-foot-high Poás Volcano, known for its bubbling and fuming crater pool. From the Visitor Center, follow the short Overlook Trail to the the viewing platform set above the crater rim: you're looking at the world's largest active crater, nearly a mile wide.
A visit to a plantación de café will introduce the history and processing of coffee, from growing the bushes to roasting the beans, as well as the final stages of coffee preparation, prior to packaging for shipping.
Travel to Gandoca, a jungle village located six miles from the town of Sixaola and the border with Panama.
Gandoca is a gateway to the vast Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, a rainforest and wetland habitat that extends out to sea to a coral reef.
Overnight: Gandoca
Day 3: Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project
Meet the staff and volunteers who work at the Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to help the people of the Talamanca region become more economically self-reliant while preserving the area's extraordinary rain forests and coastal wonders. In this region, the turtle nesting season lasts from March to July, peaking in April and May. Incubation takes about two months, with hatching taking place through August.
Your program includes a unique opportunity to do volunteer work on projects that include a variety of tasks, such as the nighttime beach patrols led by an experience patrol leader to search for nesting females. Night patrollers take carapace and nest measurements, tag rear flipper, collect the ping-pong-size eggs and place them in a safe nesting area on the beach or at the hatchery. Other daily tasks involve building nests to specifications, construction and cleaning work at the hatchery, and beach cleanup.
Overnight: Gandoca
Day 4: Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project
Spend your day involved in a project and interacting with the locals.
Overnight: Gandoca
Day 5: Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project
Spend your day involved in a project and interacting with the locals.
Overnight: Gandoca
Day 6: Banana Processing Plant, Tortuguero
Visit a banana processing and packaging plant to learn all about banana farming techniques and the different varieties of bananas as well as the properties of the fruit, its origin, and the many hidden ways in which it is consumed, such as in flans and ketchup!
Enjoy the ride to La Pavona, where you'll board a riverboat headed to Tortuguero National Park.
You'll see why this park is called the "Venice of Costa Rica" as your boat follows waterways that meander through the dense lowland rainforest.
Overnight: Tortuguero National Park
Day 7: Excursion along the Tortuguero National Park Canals
Hop back aboard a riverboat to explore the many secondary canals of the national park, an area extremely rich in flora and fauna. This humid tropical forest is home to many species of birds, insects, and other wildlife such as crocodiles, jaguars, Howler Monkeys, and peccaries.
The Tortuguero coastline is the most important nesting site for Green Sea Turtles, but Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Giant Leatherback Sea Turtles also nest on this shore.
Overnight: Tortuguero National Park
Day 8: Travel to the Arenal Volcano area
Today, depart Tortuguero National Park by riverboat.
Board your coach and travel to the Arenal Volcano area.
Visit Arenal Volcano National Park to get a look at its namesake cone-shaped volcano, which is steadily active below ground level.
The remainder of the day is free to plan as you wish.
Overnight: Arenal Volcano area
Day 9: Arenal Volcano National Park, Travel to San José
Visit Arenal Volcano National Park to get a look at its namesake cone-shaped volcano, which is steadily active below ground level.
Travel to the capital city of Costa Rica.
Overnight: San José
Day 10: Departure
¡Hasta la vista! You'll remember the warm, balmy air, the hot sun and the natural wonders.
For now, enjoy the flight home, eager to share your discoveries with family and friends.
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Paos Volcano
Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge
Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project
Tortuguero
Tortuguero National Park Canals
Arenal Volcano area
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